Complete Story
06/30/2010
Robert Wood Johnson Report: Obesity Increases Nationwide, Racial and Ethnic Disparities Persist
Ohio Ranks a Dismal 13th, tied with Texas.
Since 2001, efforts to address skyrocketing obesity rates and obesity-related diseases have grown slowly across the country, ranging from school districts trying to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches to communities building new sidewalks to make walking safer and more accessible. In the past two years, however, programs and policies to prevent obesity have increased exponentially in number, strength and breadth. So has support for them. A new poll shows that 80 percent of Americans recognize that childhood obesity is a serious problem. Furthermore, 50 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is such an important issue that we need to invest more to prevent it immediately.
Despite important progress, obesity indeed remains one of the most significant public health challenges the country has ever faced. Troubling disparities remain among racial and ethnic groups, and our response as a nation has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem.
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010, a report by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines obesity trends in the United States. This seventh annual report assesses state and federal policies aimed at preventing or reducing obesity in children and adults and chronicles actions the federal government, states and communities nationwide are taking to address this critical health issue.
For the first time, the report features commentaries from guest authors on a variety of relevant subjects, including authorization of the Child Nutrition Act, communities’ access to affordable healthy foods, and steps food manufacturers are taking to improve the nutritional quality of their products. Finally, it suggests ways to ensure that the disease-prevention measures in the new health reform law are implemented in smart, strategic ways to help prevent and reduce obesity. (from the Robert Wood Johnson report summary)
OHIO RANKS A DISMAL 13th, tied with Texas.
For the summary or full report. http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=65469
What can Ohio Chiropractors do? Feel free to look at this column online at our website and make suggestions and comments. http://associationdatabase.com/aws/OSCA/pt/sp/members_home